Looks super but an absolute fake

[a2jacketpatches]

Editing right now after realizing the red is not a chop, if it was, absolutely fake. Now I see it is the extra characters meaning American in the purple stamp. The stamp was used on issued cloth chits just like the chop for sure, but i can't say they were never used on a leather chit. Being an official modification for issued chits, I would have to say not. Anyone ever see the purple "American" stamps of a leather chit? A first for me.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Flying-Tiger-AV ... 6298490%26

 

[shedonwanna]

Looks like a reproduction with some age to it. The leather is unlike the vintage examples usually seen and appears to have been painted. Pieces appear to have been held together with rubber cement before sewing. The lettering appears to have been transferred to the leather then painted over (Notice the dark lines under the red paint). The vintage leather chits with "American" lettering on them is usually black. You are correct in questioning this item. If it is original it's not the one I would want without some documentation.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Just double checked in my book Last Hope, the blood chit story, American was added to earlier issued cloth chits only with a purple stamp to use up the stock. But later versions were completely black printed characters. This is a fake confirmed.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Informed the seller
Reply -

Thanks for the information. Painful information, but usable. I'll remove the listing.

Have a great evening,
Chris

 

[shedonwanna]

Here are two vintage chits with the purple "American" stamp and a silk with a black hand written "American". When it comes to authenticating a piece without provenance I look for similar construction and materials. The eBay chit just does not look like any vintage leather chit I've seen. I've seen plenty of variations but the materials (type of leather) and construction are usually the same. The color alone of the "American" on a leather chit would not be an indicator of a reproduction, but I've never seen it, and along with the other aspects of the chit I am suspicious of it's authenticity. I suspect it is a 20 to 30 year old reproduction.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

The purple characters alone on a leather chit absolutely are an indicator of it being fake. This was done by the government ( characters to the far left ) along with the official government chop stamp (made of wood and) and serial# on issued cloth chits only. This example in question seems to have been copied from an issued chit by someone unaware of this, and likely many years ago befor the book came out And yes, the characters also seem to be transferred. Leather handmade chits would have hand written characters easily discernible from the printed type. The craftsmen who made the souvenirs simply did not have a stamp to upgrade their chits and likely did not have a huge surplus enough to worry about it. They would easily add the characters by hand. The materials are questionable for sure, but official stamps on an unofficial chit scream fake.

 

[shedonwanna]

Here is the street vendor photo someone mentioned earlier.

Last Hope, although not an exhaustive source, does document the variations of the cloth chits produced by the Chinese Aero Commission and those mass produced by the U.S and Britain. The "may guo" or "American" stamp is documented in Last Hope in two shades of purple, black and hand written. There are several variations among the cloth chits issued to the AVG.

In the preface to the book Baldwin mentions, "I do not pretend to be an expert on the history of Blood Chits and related evasion aids. I consider myself a student of that history." He also adds, "...I am considerably less knowledgeable about the theater-made souvenir patches." Several examples of leather chits are presented in the book. In a way, all of the leather chits made in India are copies of the "official" issued chits. Artisans, who did not read Chinese, just reproduced what they saw. I've seen examples where the Chinese text for "serial number" is reproduced. Often the leather chit will give an indication as to which issued cloth chit was being copied by including the same variations as the cloth chit. Once purchased an airman could personalized their chits with personal chops or have a local craftsman in China write additional text. What is or isn't on a leather chit can't always indicate it's authenticity. There was no official source for leather chits. Variations, mistakes and multiple sources add to the multitude of possibilities. The best way to authenticate a piece is to become familiar with vintage pieces having known provenance. A resource like Last Hope is invaluable if you decide to collect vintage chits. The Maguire books are also a great resource. No desire on my part to start an argument, just want to clarify why I hold my opinion.

Here are two of my fakes or as I like to call them, authentic reproductions.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Forgot that was in Last Hope and thought there was a different photo that I haven't seen yet, but thanks for pointing it out. Sure would love to shop there right now. Great chits by the way, my wife writes mine out in about half a minute, used to take me a half hour.

 

[shedonwanna]

My copy of Last Hope is very worn. I have a very slow hand when doing the calligraphy style like the cloth chits. Great to have someone around like your wife to help with the translation and fine points. You do great work with the pieced patches and I enjoy seeing them and reading your comments.